Chapter 41: Personality in School Psychology

Given that a significant portion of America’s youth are estimated to have diagnosable disorders requiring mental health treatment, school psychologists are increasingly crucial for identifying, diagnosing, and implementing sound, effective interventions. The chapter emphasizes that personality factors influence a student’s vulnerability or resilience to various psychological issues, including anxiety, depression, and aggression. The discussion differentiates between two main categories of difficulties: internalizing problems (characterized by negative affect and inhibition, such as depression and generalized anxiety disorders) and externalizing problems (involving impulse control issues, aggression, and conduct problems). Personality traits are integral to understanding these behaviors; for instance, externalizing behaviors that often persist from childhood into adulthood, resulting in long-term negative social and criminal outcomes, are linked to low scores on the personality dimensions of Agreeableness and Conscientiousness within the Five-Factor Model, as well as specific facets like angry hostility and impulsiveness. Due to the serious consequences of maladjustment, recent efforts have focused on implementing school-based psychological interventions, specifically promoting primary prevention. Exemplary intervention programs discussed include Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) initiatives, which aim to cultivate core emotional competencies such as self-awareness, self-management (including goal setting and impulse control), social awareness, relationship skills (like constructive conflict management), and responsible decision-making. Additionally, psychoeducational treatment programs for test anxiety are employed, often using cognitive-behavioral modification techniques, which teach students coping strategies through relaxation, rational self-analysis (A-B-C analysis), coping imagery, and test-taking skills. Schools are also critical sites for immediate psychological support following community disasters or mass trauma. These interventions are based on key principles like immediacy, proximity (keeping the child in their natural setting), and communicating confidence in the child’s ability to recover (expectancy). Specific trauma interventions include preparatory behavioral rehearsals and post-disaster approaches like Critical Incident Stress Debriefing. Ultimately, effective psychological practice in schools requires incorporating affective factors and understanding how individual personality profiles—such as high emotional volatility (Neuroticism) or poor organization (low Conscientiousness)—inform students’ specific needs for support.